The thing about specs, measurements, and numbers in general is that they're relative. I'm not trying to sound like Einstein here, which would be ill-advised in my case, but am merely pointing out that when you take a mightily capable car like the 2011 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS, with its 408bhp, out on a proper track you might find that the car is far more competent than you are.
Its performance is therefore relative to your skill level. The good people at Porsche realise this, and that's why they launched a first class track facility and Porsche Sport Driving School just across from their Leipzig plant. If that name sounds familiar it's because Leipzig is where Dubai's wealth of Cayennes and Panameras are assembled. Actually everyone's Cayennes and Panameras are assembled there, but I suspect we have the highest per capita ratio of Cayennes in particular, and wouldn't be surprised if Leipzig becomes Dubai's official sister city.
New owners lucky enough to take delivery of their whip in person at the Leipzig facility receive a complimentary day of instruction in a car of equal spec to their own, which seems like a proper way to celebrate. As impressive as the Cayenne and the Panamera seem to be (I haven't tested either one yet… hint, hint) I have to say that the turns at Leipzig are perfect for the GTS, which blends the excellent street performance of the 2S with the track savvy of the GT3.
The Leipzig layout features a pastiche of famous tracks including the Sunset bend from Sebring, Mobil 1S from Nürburgring, Spa-Francorchamps' Bus Stop, and Laguna Seca's famed Corkscrew to name a few. And by the way, not to rub it in but you haven't really lived until you've seen Porsche Sport Driving School instructor and professional racer, Manuel Lauck, drift uphill into the Corskcrew at banshee tyre screeching speeds — truly an amazing sight.
Over the limit
To be fair, I'm not a bad driver in general, at least in my own slightly biased opinion, but I don't have much track experience. That changed for the better when Porsche hosted me for the first in their series of driver training courses; the Warm-Up.
To start the day we partook in an exercise that forces you to overcome instinct in order to get a real feel for the awesome braking power of the 911 GTS, somewhere in the neighbourhood of 1,000bhp stopping power. Think about that, the stopping power of the car is more than double its ample 408bhp of engine muscle.
Accelerating the GTS quickly up to 120kph, we were instructed to brake evenly in one firm motion, bringing the car to an impressively abrupt halt while avoiding the needless slaughter of orange cones. The first time out I hesitated a bit letting the brake pedal up a tad.
The kick from matting a GTS brake pedal is slightly like firing a double barrel shotgun; you have to get used to it. And really, in the event of an emergency, or when tackling the Leipzig track's most intense turns, you want to be able to decelerate startlingly fast. Out on the track, with its veteran staff, safety crew, and ample run offs; one has the perfect opportunity to really explore the massive braking power of the car.
I'd advise anyone following a GTS on Shaikh Zayed Road to leave ample cushion; these elegant machines can stop on a dime… er, make that a fil. Always a serious and hard-nosed motoring journalist, I hopped out of the GTS proclaiming, "I love the smell of brake pads in the morning." My bravado was undercut, when moments later I learned this would be the end of my tenure in the GTS at Leipzig. The car had performed mightily, and yet I knew I wanted more.
I could go on at length about the joys of attending the Porsche Sport Driving School, but instead I want to tell you about a nervous tick I developed when I returned from Germany and began muttering "GTS, my precious, GTS," in my sleep. Luckily the kind folk at Al Nabooda Porsche were happy enough to temporarily cure my affliction, letting me take yet another GTS for a test drive here in Dubai.
With a top speed of 304kph, 0-100kph takes just 4.6 seconds in the manual GTS, 4.4 seconds in the PDK semi-automatic and 4.2 seconds on the PDK car in Sport Plus mode, pinning the driver back with proper sportscar fury. Porsche offers PDK control via either paddle shifters or a more novel steering wheel-mounted push button approach that, according to one Porsche official that I spoke to, is extremely popular with a certain cross section of repeat Porsche owners.
This is surely a personal choice, but for my money the paddle shift approach is much more intuitive and satisfying, to the extent that I must admit a preference for the paddle shift equipped GTS that I drove in Germany, although the Dubai GTS was no slouch and I simply opted to use the shifter over the buttons. In most driving conditions this is a great solution as well.
I may not have much company in my preference though, as a quick circuit of the Al Nabooda showroom revealed only push button equipped 911s. In any event, this is probably a good indication that I've been spoiled by Dubai: finding any iteration of the 911 range even remotely objectionable.
And really, there's just so much to like: The standard (that doesn't sound right referring to such a gorgeous machine) GTS is a hardtop coupé, although it's also available as a cabrio if you're not bothered about hair loss. Based on the wider bodied Carrera 4 chassis, with its lovely, sculpted rear wheel wells, the GTS proffers a rear-drive configuration that hardcore Porsche fans will laud. The interior is a riot… better make that a, peaceful demonstration of Alcantara, with the steering wheel, shift lever and parking brake all upholstered with that oh-so-smooth material. On the outside, the GTS rocks its own iteration of the sports exhaust system, complemented by Porsche's Sport Design bodykit.
Well out of town, in a secret wheels test drive spot we like to call "the back 40," I succumb to temptation leaning into a tight turn at highway speed, my foot rooted to the accelerator. The tyres give a slight whine of protest, and I'm definitely feeling the g forces, but other than that there's not much to report beyond the grin on my rubbery mug.
The GTS is so firmly glued to the road with its wide rear tyres and Porsche's enviably effective yet unobtrusive Porsche Stability Management (PSM) it can give you an inflated sense of confidence. No one should go directly from driving a GTS to, say, a '69 Charger, because you'll wind up in the ditch at the first turn.
Some hardcore petrolheads lament the advent of stability control systems, but personally I can't see turning PSM off anywhere other than a closed track; and then only once you've mastered the uphill drift à la Manuel. Accelerating out of one brutally abrupt downshift, I remembered something my instructor had said back on the track, in that matter-of-fact way that is so endearingly German, "the secret is really just late braking, you see?"
In fact I did. It takes some getting used to — again you find yourself fighting instinct — but the GTS's awesome braking power is yin to the yang of its copious acceleration.
Verdict
Much is made of bhp and torque in these pages, and rightfully so, but when it comes to the track, braking is an under-appreciated skill, and one that underwrites the adrenal rush of flooring it in the straightaway. Tearing around both Porsche's winding track and navigating Dubai's myriad obstacles revealed the GTS's innate potential, tempered only by my sense of self-preservation and, at least on the track, my nascent racing skills. Not only is the GTS an incredible sports car; at Dh394,400 it represent a serious sweet spot in Porsche's product line.
Specs
Model Carrera GTS
Engine 3.8-litre flat-six
Transmission Seven-speed PDK, RWD
Max power 408bhp @ 7,300rpm
Max torque 420Nm @ 4,200rpm
Top speed 304kph
0-100kph 4.2sec
Price Dh394,400
Plus Awesome track performance, perfect daily ‘GT3'
Minus Push-button shifters
